Stevens' Solis has a head for the game of baseball

During his four-year stint at Stevens, the senior pitcher-outfielder is constantly looking for valuable tips on ways he can improve his game, even it means extra work.

Looking at the way things are going, Solis is what teachers would call the “model student.”

In addition to being part of Stevens' previous three playoff appearances, he has developed into one of the area's top players and will be carrying his skills to St. Mary's next year.

Alhough he's learned proper pitching mechanics and developed an effective slider, the best advice Solis has learned is realizing “baseball is a thinking man's game.”

“I try to be a perfectionist,” Solis said. “I want to be at my best. I try to be as organized as I can in this game. You have to be willing to work and be coachable.

“You have to really take your coaches' advice and understand what to do. I can't be satisfied, especially after last year.”

Last year is somewhat of a sore subject for Solis.

After going 6-3 on the mound as a sophomore, the Stevens pitcher registered a 7-5 record last season while batting .410. It wasn't a terrible showing by any means. After all, the Falcons made the playoffs during a rebuilding season.

For a perfectionist like Solis, it ranks as a below par performance. So, he went out and did something about it.

The results are showing in the early stages. On the mound, Solis owns a 3-1 record with a 0.29 ERA and 50 strikeouts, with the only loss being a 1-0 decision to Sharyland in the Corpus Christi Tournament.

At the plate, he is just as effective, sporting a .444 average with 11 RBIs and two home runs in helping Stevens (9-4, 4-0) to the early lead in 28-5A.

“The one thing I started doing was keeping a notebook on mechanics so I could never forget them,” Solis said. “Basically you have to keep working on your mechanics and stay strong. If you lose, you have to accept defeat, but you also need to learn from it and improve.

“So far, it has been a great year. I am in the best shape of my life. During the offseason we worked hard on the weights and conditioning. “

Solis has been influenced by a number of mentors. He credits Stevens head coach Preston Rogers and pitching coach Nick Alavarado for helping him develop his game, along with club coach Ben Van Ryan. However, the majority of the lessons came from the homefront.

His father (Ed Solis) and uncle (Ray Solis) played at Jay, before continuing their skills at the college level. Currently, both are coaching at St. Anthony's.

Through it all, the best advice Solis learned has more to do with the mental part of the game than the physical.

He respects all his opponents knowing the least little slip up could provide them an advantage.

With that in mind, Solis goes to the mound and the plate with the mindset he is not going to be beaten.

“It's a psychological thing,” said Solis, who moved up to Stevens' varsity as a freshman. “You have to go out there with the attitude you're not going to be beat. You can't be scared no matter who is out there.

“If you're going out there just to win, that's wrong. You need to go out there believing you are going to dominate. You need to be confident, but you also need to be humble. You have to keep everything in control.”

Rogers noticed Solis' serious approach to that game before the future pitcher-outfielder enrolled at Stevens.

As an eighth grader, Solis showed up at a Falcons' practice one day and asked the coach if he could use their bullpen because “he needed get in some throwing.”

Rogers was more than happy to oblige.

“You could see then he really had a love for the game,” the Stevens coach said. “The thing impresses you the most is his mental makeup. He sets goals for himself and has done just about everything possible to reach them.”